Pot-kage Ninja (TL)

In the hospital room, Tsunade admitted that she was still plagued by hemophobia. Could a ninja who couldn't stand the sight of blood really become Hokage?

Jiraiya's qualifications, abilities, and prestige were all impeccable, yet he stubbornly used a lack of motivation as an excuse to refuse the position of Hokage. The Third Hokage didn't buy it at all—what kind of nonsense was that?

Who was born ready to be Hokage?

Logically speaking, the succession order in Konoha should have been the Third, Jiraiya, and then Minato Namikaze. Their ages and master-disciple relationships fit perfectly.

When the Third grew old, Jiraiya would have been at the peak of his strength. During the Nine-Tails' attack, if he and Minato had joined forces, along with the retired Third Hokage, their sheer power would likely have been enough to weather the crisis. This would have given Minato over a decade more to grow, allowing him to smoothly succeed Jiraiya as the Fifth Hokage.

If Minato hadn't died during the Nine-Tails' attack but instead sealed half of the beast within himself, he could have achieved nearly everything Naruto did in the future.

Just think about it—Rasengan, Nine-Tails Mode, Sage Mode—aside from lacking Asura's Chakra, Minato had everything Naruto had, plus the brains Naruto lacked.

By the time of the Konoha Crush Plan, a thirty-something Minato facing a fifty-year-old Orochimaru wouldn't have needed the Third to use the Reaper Death Seal. An enhanced Minato would have beaten Orochimaru to a pulp.

This succession order would have been ideal. But with Minato's premature death, Konoha was left with the elderly Third holding the fort, throwing the entire succession into chaos.

If Jiraiya had been willing to take the position, he would undoubtedly have been a better fit than Kakashi.

The bedridden Third tried to persuade Jiraiya, but to little avail.

"Hiruzen, you're no longer fit to be Hokage. Someone needs to step up and make decisions for the village—can you even stand?" Danzo sneered in the hospital room.

The Third's vitality was rapidly fading, his face gaunt and aged, his voice weak.

Unfazed by Danzo's taunt, he replied, "It's true, I can't stand. I will also take responsibility for the attack on the Hidden Leaf Village."

"So I believe you should step down as Hokage," Danzo pressed.

The Third glanced at him with effort. "And then what? Are you suggesting you're the most suitable candidate? Unfortunately, you have no chance. The Daimyo would never agree."

Beside them, Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement. Danzo was baffled—what was this about? The Daimyo? What did the Daimyo have to do with this?

Mitokado Homura mocked him, "You know exactly what you've done."

What did he know? What had he done?

The number of underhanded deeds he had committed in secret was so vast that he couldn't even pinpoint which one Homura was referring to.

All he knew was that it involved the Daimyo. But now that he had a target, things became simple. Danzo's methods had always been crude and ruthless, and he held no respect for the Daimyo. He lightly touched his bandaged right eye. The Daimyo? Hmph!

Konoha had suffered greatly this time—floods, plants, and sand had made the cleanup efforts extremely tedious.

Seizing the opportunity, Ino had Karin and Baki enter the reconstruction project under the banner of the Waterfall Village.

As a friend of the leader of the Waterfall Village, she naturally introduced the Cross Guild to the village. Currently, the ninja responsible for coordinating supplies and organizing personnel for the village's reconstruction was none other than Nara Shikaku.

These were all allies, and Shikaku had a good grasp of Ino's intentions. Without hesitation, he agreed.

The Cross Guild operated under the banner of the Waterfall Village, maintaining an official relationship with Konoha. With Shikaku's approval, Kawaragi's endorsement from the Waterfall Village, and Ino's connections, there were no obstacles in the way.

However, Karin's identity as a Grass Village ninja couldn't remain hidden forever.

Ino gave her some private instructions.

She whispered into Karin's ear, "Later, you'll go see my dad."

Karin gasped, her face turning bright red. "Y-yes! Am I going to see Father?"

Ino narrowed her eyes at her. "Don't go claiming relatives. That's my dad!"

"Yes, yes!" Karin nodded obediently.

"When you meet my dad, if he asks, this is what you say..."

Fifteen minutes later.

Inoichi, in his official capacity at Konoha's Interrogation Division, questioned Karin matter-of-factly.

"Were you previously a ninja of the Grass Village?"

"What was your purpose in coming to Konoha under the identity of a Waterfall Village ninja?"

Karin's expression was slightly exaggerated as she replied in a peculiar tone.

"I love Konoha! Konoha is truly wonderful!"

"The Grass Village is bad, but the Hidden Leaf Village is good!"

"Our Konoha defeated Orochimaru! Our Hidden Leaf Village is so amazing!"

Her flattery left Inoichi utterly bewildered. He glanced at Morino Ibiki, who was assisting with the interrogation, as if to say, Is this kid out of her mind?

Aside from her origins in the Grass Village, Karin's record was clean. Moreover, she was now considered a Waterfall Village ninja, and the Waterfall Village was far stronger than the Grass Village. Neither village saw an issue with her, so Konoha certainly didn't either.

Inoichi waved his hand, signaling she could leave.

"Goodbye, Father!" With those words, Karin vanished in a flash.

Inoichi was left with a face full of confusion. He looked around, even behind him—no one was there. Who had she been talking to?

The Cross Guild brought nearly a hundred skilled workers who cut timber, built walls, and assisted in Konoha's reconstruction efforts.

Baki indeed had a knack for construction, having organized bandit hideouts with remarkable efficiency. The flat terrain of Konoha was far easier to work with than mountainous regions. With his expertise and Ino's connections, he managed to secure nearly a fifth of the reconstruction projects.

Of course, no single party could monopolize all the work—other ninja clans needed their share as well.

A day later, Sunagakure's elder Ebizo arrived at the border between the two nations, accompanied by over a thousand Sunagakure ninjas. By then, the Sand Hidden Village had assembled a force of more than three thousand ninjas along the border.

Gaara, after all, was not the Kazekage. The three siblings held no sway over the village elders.

Ebizo dispatched an envoy with an official letter to Konoha, demanding the immediate return of the Fourth Kazekage's body and a full explanation for the entire incident.

"They're threatening the Hidden Leaf Village! Hiruzen, step aside. I'll lead a team to wipe them all out!" Before Danzo could even set off for the capital of the Land of Fire, he received Sunagakure's declaration of war. Immediately excited, he began clamoring to teach the Sand Hidden Village a lesson they'd never forget.

The Fourth Kazekage was killed by Orochimaru—where exactly was Konoha supposed to find the body? This was just an excuse.

With the Third still alive, Jiraiya and Tsunade having returned to the village one after another, core forces like Kakashi all present, and younger generations like Ino coming into their own, Konoha's current strength could completely overpower Sunagakure.

Danzo wanted to seize this opportunity to stir trouble, but the Third wouldn't hear of it. Were they really going to take this blackmail seriously? If wars started over a few words like this, the Shinobi World would have been destroyed long ago.

No response would be given. Let them make their fuss—Konoha had its own affairs to attend to.